Last week Congress passed a 10-month patch to the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula stopping a potentially devastating 27 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians on March 1 that would have negatively impacted seniors’ access to care and choice of physician. This agreement was part of a larger legislative package tied to the extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. MORE

In the case, Fisher v. University of Texas, a white student argues that the University’s affirmative action policy cost her a spot in the school. The policy provides admission for those in the top 10 percent of their Texas high schools. Abigail Noel Fisher did not make that cut and was put in a pool of applicants in which race is considered a factor in admissions, along with others like leadership qualities, test scores, community service and work experience. She still didn’t get in.

Fisher argues goes beyond what the Court has said is acceptable in considering race in admissions because UT’s race-neutral policy for the top 10 percent already brings in higher percentages than those considered in the 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger decision. In Grutter,Justice Sandra Day O’Connor writing for the 5-4 majority said the University of Michigan’s law school could consider race as part of a holistic evaluation of an applicant. O’Connor said the government had a compelling interest in diversity, including seeking a “critical mass” of minority students.

The students that are automatically accepted to UT account for the vast majority of the freshman classes, with about 30 percent of enrolling students from underrepresented minorities. But, to their credit, UT officials do not feel that is enough for a state where there will soon be no majority race. After the Grutter decision, UT decided to start considering race along with other factors.

There’s reason to think affirmative action programs could be in trouble with the Roberts Court. Justice O’Connor, the key swing vote in Grutter, has been replaced with arch-conservative Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Elana Kagan has recused herself from this case, presumably because of her previous job as President Obama’s solicitor general. The Obama administration has supported Texas in the case and has advised colleges and universities that under the court’s 2003 decision they may still make some race-based decisions to expand campus diversity.

The Court will hear the case in the October term, meaning a decision will likely be an issue in the fall elections.

Rev. Franklin Graham says President Barack Obama has “given Islam a pass,” including ignoring atrocities against Christians in the Muslim world — so much so that the evangelist says he cannot “categorically” say Obama is not a Muslim.

In a stunning interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday, the prominent Christian leader and son of Billy Graham expressed shock that Obama was doing little to protect Christians across the Muslim world against a wave of persecution.

MSNBC’s hosts were flummoxed by Graham’s strong rebuke of Obama, and queried whether Graham believed the president to be a Christian.

“You have to ask that of President Obama,” Graham shot back. “You can ask me do I believe you’re a Christian. I think people have to ask Barack Obama. He’s come out saying he’s a Christian. So I think the question is, what is a Christian?”

Graham added that he accepts Obama’s claim he’s a Christian at face value, but said ultimately only God knows his heart, while noting that Obama has shown strong empathy toward Muslims and the president has an Islamic background.

“Under Islamic law, under Sharia law, Islam sees him as a son of Islam, because his father was a Muslim, his grandfather was a Muslim, his great-grandfather was a Muslim,” Graham said.

“So under Islamic law the Muslim world sees President Obama as a Muslim, as a son of Islam. That’s just the way it works. That’s the way they see him.”

Asked if believed Obama was “categorically not a Muslim,” Graham said, “I can’t say categorically because Islam has gotten a free a pass under Obama.”

Graham declared that Obama’s Middle East policies have helped Islamists while hurting Christian minorities through the region.

“We see the Arab spring, and coming out of the Arab spring, the Islamists are taking control of the Middle East. And people like [Hosni] Mubarak was a dictator, but he kept the peace with Israel and the Christian minorities in Egypt were protected.

“Now those Christian minorities throughout the entire Arab world are under attack. A Newsweek magazine cover story last week [was about] was the massacre of Christians in the Islamic world. From Europe all the way through the Middle East to Africa into East Asia, Muslims are killing Christians.

“The president can come out and make a statement demanding that if these countries do not protect their minorities, no more foreign aid from the United States. They are not protecting the minorities. The society in these Islamic countries is not protecting the Christians anymore.”

Graham claimed Obama is doing little to nothing to help persecuted Christians.

“And he’s got the power of the White House,” Graham complained. “He could be speaking to these countries right now, demanding that they protect the Christians in those countries. He’s been quiet about it.”

The White House has issued numerous calls for religious tolerance in the wake of violence against Coptic Christians and other minorities in the Arab world.

As a child I grew up in the South watching Rev. Billy Graham‘s crusades on TV. My family had great respect for him, a man, a Christian, preacher and man of God. This morning I watched the great man’s son on TV (MorningJoe, MSNBC). His name is Franklin Graham. He thinks of himself as a Christian. I find him disgusting, racist, two-faced with a double-standard that favors the far right. Franklin, you are not living like Jesus did. Christian? I think not! —Woody 2/21/12